Pros and cons... need some help

[Wimble Woof]

K, heres a bit of the situation...
Currently rent 160 acres, with a 3 bedroom, 2 washroom, 2 story house ( I think its too damn big for just me and the dogs mon-friday), close enough to town ( 5 minute drive tops)
-Lots of traffic,
-Lots of theft here... yup even with 4 dogs.
Looking to buy it, for a really good price, BUT. the foundation is cracked, there is no insulation, and the bottom 3 inches of the walls on the foundation is rotten. ( Big bucks to fix up, origionally had planned to build beside then tear down) and only buying 5 acres with the house.

Then... this came to our attention yesterday...
Cute little one story house ( no idea on how many bedrooms, 1 bath, walk out basement, screened in outdoor porch facing ... the lake! Yup lake front. Decent beach, no neighbours until late spring other than really good friends of the family 3 lots down, then my uncle 2 lots down from that.
On the other side, no one, the bay of the lake is right beside this house.
Now...
- only 1 acre of property
-at the dead end of our camp road making our drive way 1/2 mile long in winter ( thats lots of plowing) but no traffic either way
- Come winter we have a 6 mile long lake to use as a yard
- Uncle who lives 5 lots down, owns the 400+ acres across the road from us, all the way into the bay and down. Perhaps at a later time could purchase some property off him, atleast it stays in the family right.

I dont know what i like better... imagine waking up on the weekend and heading out for an orange juice ( or coffee if I have relapsed) by the beach? EVERY DAY even...
But, only 1 acre.

[Wimble Woof]

Oh and its a bit pricey,not fully out of our range, but my dad is the one who brought it to my attention, he asked if we wanted to split on it, mortgage in his name, me rent to own from him ( much cheaper intrest rate that way)

[Kandy]

Well, I think one acre is still a good piece of land - and the isolation would likely result in better safety for you and the dogs. I think that you'd probably need to actually go through and list the pros and cons for each property - including purchase price and the price to fix the things you said were bad on the bigger house. Myself, I'd probably go for the lake front one - but that's just me.

[M4X1N3]

Kandy said it right

[BeagleMum]

I would totally go with the one on the lake, in a second!!! I am telling you, you will have nightmares if you have to dig out around your house to replace your current foundation and by the sounds of it, you will have to do it sooner than later. Even if you did build new, you would have to incur the cost of building, it adds up fast.

1 acre might not sound like a lot but with all that property across the road, could you not go for walks in there? Also, the dogs would be able to swim and play in the water. You want tired dogs? that's the way to do it.

[Wimble Woof]

All in all the lake front is holding firmly in my future plans, but I love this place so much too, this is the longest I have ever lived somewhere (since being on my own) I usually move every 6 months, I have been here 5 years!
But, the 4 hours or long cutting sucks.
the fact that the house is smack dab in the middle of a field sucks in the winter ( wind blows right through, and lets not forget about the SNOW DRIFTS)
I could cut a few trees at the other place to open it up a bit, and there is still more than enough room for the dogs, I mean a basement, a finished basement!!!! Oh and then plant a few maples or something in place of the sparaddic placement of poplars. ( the other house is heated with a wood stove, not a furnace but a stove Its like my mind is made up right?? but all in all, I love where I am now.... I'm at peace with myself here (finally)

[Wimble Woof]

One more thing, lot number 4... thats my parents camp, where all the swimming pics of my dogs are taken, so there is always that place I can hide out too...

[Kandy]

Is the wood stove enough to heat the house? Or would it need a furnace to get you through the winters?

[Skryker]

Emotionally, I'd say lakefront. Hands down.

Pragmatically, I'd still say lakefront. Provided that the house is in good shape, that is. Waterfront property will always be more valuable, and in the future, that smaller house on a smaller lot will likely STILL be worth more.

So, I guess property taxes need to be compared, too. So draw up your list, check more into the lake house, and see if there is a hard reason for one place above the other. If they look like equally good values, let your heart decide.

[Wimble Woof]

Nope the woodstove is all the other people used, the reason they are selling is because they are getting a bit too old to live out there, the husband keeps having strokes and its hard for air ambulance to get in there, and regular ambulances would take even longer by the time they wound their way through the mazes that are the roads.
My dad had talked to them several years ago about the place, and said "when you decide to sell, let me know" so he has first dibbs, she approached him yesterday.
The man had another stroke during the night on friday and they have decided its time to let it go.
I'll try to snap some pics of it this week.